Before I Touch the Ground
by the alphabet soup
Summary: A string of one-shots dedicated to the pairing Marina/Eight. Other pairings will be mentioned and/or will appear.
1. talks

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies.**

**A/N:** Since I apparently have too much time on my hands, and I suddenly have a plethora of inspiration, this is a string of one-shots dedicated to the pairing Marina/Eight. Other pairings will be mentioned and/or will appear. Basically just an excuse to practice writing the characters.

Rated T for possible swearing and suggestive scenes/implications.

* * *

Their current relationship consisted of stolen glances and being too close to each other. Their hands always managed to find each other and their fingers always ended up locked. Neither of them knew how to address whatever _this_ is, but the others seemed to decide that for them. Ella gave Marina knowing glances and even Six smiled when she noticed the two apparent idiots standing ridiculously close to each other.

The war didn't give them much time to be themselves. Although John was now reunited with Sarah, even those two weren't as romantic as Marina would have thought. They spent so much time fighting the Mogs that when new Legacies revealed themselves it was usually in the midst of a battle and no one was terribly surprised. When they did have down time they were just training, or practicing their Legacies so a fourth scar wouldn't appear, or looking out for signs of number Five who was jumping from continent to continent like nobody's business.

On this particular day they were lounging in Nine's original safe house he along with his Cepan had claimed. They had finished training for the day, but both Six and Nine were adamant about staying in shape. Marina suspected that something was going on between them, but she didn't want to pry. It wasn't as if Six would tell her anything, anyway. She was too stubborn and would deny any claims. Sort of like how Marina denied what she and Eight did or didn't have whenever Six asked.

Sarah and John had disappeared into John's room (Marina prayed to Lorien that they were aware a twelve year old was in the building) and Eight had wandered into the kitchen to devour everything in sight - again - which left her and Ella. Marina was sitting on a couch in the living room with Ella laying next to her, her feet in Marina's lap. The older Garde was flipping through the channels, her mind wandering when they reached a cooking channel. Surprisingly, nothing else was on but at least cooking was somewhat interesting.

"Marina, you should make this some time!" Ella announced. She pointed towards the screen where flour and two eggs were being whisked in a bowl. She caught a word, "crepe", and determined that was what was being made. Marina looked down to see the young Garde staring at the screen with a fascinated expression on her face. Marina smiled at her enthusiasm, but her smile slowly faded when she realized this was only one of the handfuls of moments Ella would ever have as a child again. She wanted to preserve Ella's innocence for as long as she could, but her ability to do that was fading too quickly for her liking.

"Only if you help me." Marina responded, the smile returning to her face. Ella turned towards her and frowned playfully.

"You aren't even paying attention, are you?"

"I am!" Marina protested. A grin spread on Ella's face. "You're too busy thinking about Eight!" she announced loudly. Marina's eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. A blush quickly began to form on her cheeks but she couldn't find anything to say.

It was that moment that Eight decided to show himself. He appeared on the couch recliner across from them, his eyes curious. "What about me?" he asked. Marina's face turned a darker shade of red and Ella grinned mischievously up at her. The younger girl stood up and walked away, leaving Marina flustered and Eight confused.

The silence settled between them like a weight and every unspoken thought pressed itself between them in the empty room. Marina was reminded of the two kisses they shared - one platonic and the other a little bit more than that - and the various times their fingers touched and sent a burst of warmth throughout her body. She was reminded of the time when she had been sparring against Six (she swore that Nine was purposely doing this) and after being beaten both physically and emotionally - it didn't work wonders to be defeated in a fight that lasted barely three minutes - Eight had offered to help her train. She had taken up the offer with the idea that something could happen between them, but training was just, well, _training_. Barely any conversation involved. She couldn't say that those sessions weren't helpful, though.

She was reminded of the way his green eyes lit up when she walked into the room and how his spirits seemed to lift. She was reminded of the fact that neither of them brought up whatever _this_ was because they were in the war, and she was afraid of becoming attached and labelling this. Either of them could die in the war. Hell, he _had_ almost died.

Maybe he bore the same train of thought because he avoided the elephant in the room. "So you're learning to cook, huh." he commented, before he muted the TV. She smiled and brushed a few loose strands of her dark hair behind her ear.

"No, but I would like to try some time. Ella seemed really excited about making our own food."

"I wouldn't mind the change. Even if Nine is apparently rich I'm getting sick of ordering our food all the time." She laughed and the two quickly dropped into conversation. They weren't able to talk much, but when they did she cherished those moments. These moments were the ones which made her think, even if only for a brief moment, that labelling whatever _this_ was would have been worth it in the long run.


	2. nightmares

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies.**

Thank you so much for all your reviews! They're very much appreciated!

Apparently this is going to have more of a plot than I originally intended so it won't just be about Marina and Eight, although they still will be the main focus.

* * *

Five had stayed still long enough that they - read: Nine and Six - had decided they would come to her. Even though she was moving so quickly across the globe, they were stronger as a group than Five was with only her (supposed) Cepan, and none of them wanted to receive another scar. Marina was hoping Five still had her Cepan so they wouldn't be completely lost in this war. They could use some wisdom right now _and_ help with deciphering the contents of their Chests.

The seven of them were piled into a mini van that Six had supposedly rented. Nine was driving while Six took shotgun. In the middle were John and Sarah, while Marina, Eight, and Ella were in the back. They were driving to Pennsylvania according to the tablet which John held in his right hand. With his left he was holding Sarah's. Marina had to admit the two were cute, and maybe they were even made for each other, but she had the sinking feeling that the two would have to part one way or another. Sarah was human and Marina didn't want to see the girl get hurt anymore than she had been already.

* * *

Somewhere between Indiana and Ohio Marina had fallen asleep. Her dreams were filled of images of dead bodies she wished she couldn't identify. She woke up in a cold sweat and felt warm, familiar hands take hers. When her eyes adjusted to the fact that she was no longer sleeping, she noticed it was dark outside. Nine was driving now with Six in the passenger seat. Her head was resting against the window and her left hand towards Nine. The only ones awake besides Nine were her and Eight.

Her frantic thoughts settled down when she realized that everyone is still alive. No scars have appeared. Eight's hands still held hers and she turned her head to face him. His eyes were filled with worry and she smiled to let him know she was fine.

A low mutter sounded from the driver's seat, and then again. "Shit." Nine swore. Marina turned her gaze to him, her hands slipping away from Eight's in the process. Nine pulled the van over and stepped out; Marina and Eight followed suit.

He was leaning against his car door with an obvious expression of annoyance on his face. He held the tablet in both his hands. "Dammit, she's moving again. And this time _away_ from us." His expression turned from annoyance to obvious anger, and Marina hoped that Five was just paranoid about staying in one place and didn't have Mogs on her trail.

"So we're turning back?" she asked but Nine shook his head.

"No. We're still going to Pennsylvania; we need to quit staying in one place, too. Five's travelling to Maine right now so the most we can do is try to meet her there."

Marina nodded and climbed back inside the mini van. Eight and Nine stood and talked for a few more minutes and Nine's mood was improving. He was lecturing Eight about something and his gaze moved to Marina before going back to him. Her face grew red at the prospect of _Nine_ talking about their current relationship. If Nine decided to butt in then it was obvious how they looked to the others.

When she sat back down, Ella and the others were still asleep. Eight came in shortly after and sat next to her, and Nine moved into the driver's seat and they were back their mission to find Five again. After a good fifteen minutes, Eight spoke. "Are you doing okay? It looked like you were having a pretty bad dream."

"I'm fine. Everything is okay." He noticeably relaxed at that, then spoke again.

"You can talk to me if anything is bugging you, Marina." he assured her. His smile was sincere and he made her mood brighten. She took his hand in hers again and noticed in his eyes there was something tender. Something definitely more than friendly. She imagined he would have kissed her had Nine not cleared his throat in the driver's seat. Eight turned towards his form and rolled his eyes and Marina just looked away.

When his gaze was away from her, Marina's mind recalled the body that was so vivid in her dreams. Dreams, plural, because this wasn't the first time she had dreamed of his lifeless body on the ground. Ever since Dulce she had the same dream - or maybe _nightmare_ was more appropriate. The smile disappeared from her face and she squeezed his hand slightly to make sure he was still here with her.

She didn't know what she would do if she couldn't save him again.


	3. another face

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies.**

Again, thank you so much for reviewing!

I apologize for updating so late. I've been a little busy with school. I promise the next updates won't take as long.

* * *

Five had - thankfully - stayed in Maine when the seven of them finally arrived across the state border. Now it was just a matter of them finding their exact location so the rest of the Garde could finally be united. Nine wanted to get Five then get out of the state as soon as they could in case Mogs were on their tail, and Marina and the others agreed.

They would later find out that finding Five's exact location just meant staying in the mini van while John took the tablet and read off the map to try and figure out exactly where Five was.

* * *

Five was nothing like Marina expected. She imagined a Garde who could stand on her own two feet and who was able to strike back harder than bit. She didn't expect a sixteen year old girl with blonde hair and a scared look in her eyes. She certainly didn't expect when the girl disappeared before her eyes and a boy of about fourteen with tangled brown hair and gray eyes with a mixture of fear and anger stood in her place. Marina could tell that the boy had gonna through a lot of hardships, _and_ that he was skilled in at least one of his Legacies. But beyond the anger in his eyes, Marina could see fear. This wasn't someone who knew how to fight. This was someone who lived in constant terror and had barely survived so far. For a brief moment, Marina was terrified of the thought that Five's Cepan had abandoned Lorien as well.

John spoke first. He couldn't say much on account of the fact that they were in a crowded city where anyone could hear them, but he did say something along the lines of, "Aunt Lora has been looking for you, Fredrick." It would have just been simple chatter to someone walking past, but Five knew exactly what John was talking about that. His expression noticeably relaxed, and they went back to the mini van where Sarah and Ella were waiting. The two had offered to stay behind and protect it, and if Ella saw anyone suspicious she would warn the others with telepathy.

Once they had piled themselves in the van, Six started driving. Five sat in the back next to Marina and Ella. "So, Five," Nine started. Marina could sense that Nine was about to ask what his Legacies were. Even though she had only known him for a short time, it was simple to tell that Nine loved to show off. "what are your Legacies?"

Five looked down at the floor of the van. He looked reminiscent to a lost puppy of some sort. "I can create illusions. But they are more like mirages, I guess." he replied in a small voice after a few minutes. "But if I'm not careful they can affect me, too." He grew quiet, again, and Marina had a sinking suspicion that he had been seeing his Cepan. The mere fact that he was alone was a clear sign that they had been separated - or his Cepan had been killed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. He looked up at her, a sad smile growing on his face.

"It's okay. It was a awhile ago." he answered, but she could see right through the lie.

* * *

The drive back to Chicago was surprisingly uneventful, but the they were quite happy that they hadn't been attacked. No one talked much. Either they were sleeping, or too focused to make conversation. Marina could tell that Nine was slightly disappointed that Five wasn't a girl like he (and, well, basically _everyone_) suspected. Marina didn't know why he should have been disappointed, considering his and Six's relationship that she was beginning to believe was real. Ella had tried to talk to Five at one point, but he had fallen asleep before an actual conversation could have begun. Ella obviously felt sorry for him from the way her face took on a sorrowful expression when she looked at him.

With Five's head resting on her shoulder, Marina started to fall asleep herself. She didn't want to, however. She didn't want to have the same dreams. But when she finally did start to close her eyes, she could feel Eight's gaze on her but she was too drowsy to figure out whether that was jealously or hurt in his eyes.


End file.
